Good Things

Good things come to those that wait. I've heard this my whole life, and truthfully, it's one of those sayings that just kind of bothers you more than making sense. You think, this is just a ploy that my parents cooked up so that I would stop bothering them about having this or that right now. It is true though....as the famous Ent from Lord of the Rings, Treebeard, once said, "Nothing is worth saying, unless it takes a long time to say." I guess I think that about a lot of things now. I would morph it more into something like, "Nothing is worth doing unless it takes a long time to happen." If you think about it, you have to plan significantly for some of the best things to happen in your life: marriage--must plan the wedding, starting a family--seeing if you're ready for kids or not, pregnancy--you are constantly planning for this and that.

You never really know what will arise when you find out your are pregnant. This, as you know from previous posts, happened to my wife and I about this time a year ago. We found out that she was pregnant with our first child, Alan. We were exstatic and scared, all at the same time. However, we did begin to plan. We started planning for his room accommodations. We started planning for hospital bills. We started planning our lives around this little guy that was coming. We knew, things could not be the way they had been for 3+ years in our marriage.

We had a strong marriage, but we would soon come to find out that those strengths, and more importantly, the weaknesses, would be tested. The strain of sleep deprivation, worry, and nervousness of the unknown pulls hard at a marriage...even one tested by years of marriage. We found this to be especially true. I think the things that we've had a tough time with, we have emerged even stronger because we persevered though.

Alan is such a blessing. He is here now (Yes, I'm a bit late with this post) and we cannot stop looking at him, even after these 3.5 months. He is our pride. He is out joy. He is our life.

Great Expectations

Expectations shape a majority of our moods and what we demand from society and from our lives. These expectations can be a pleasant surprise, because they were previously low, and the reality turned out to be something so much more. Also, these expectations can be great, just because they have built up in our minds to the point that nothing could shatter the imaginary world they have created. Regardless of how we use them, expectations are everywhere. Well, our expectations are some of those that were previously referenced. They are the ones that keep us floating on cloud nine, and will still for years to come. The expectations to which I refer are parenthood. We are about to journey into that world, where many have come before us, without any previous experience. Our expectations will help carry us though...our expectations will make up for the lack of experience that we might feel. Our expectations of our little one, Alan, are coming due...sooner, rather than later.

Innocence Personified

This little boy, Eli, did so well with our shoot the other day. He was just so interested in giving his mom some flowers and letting his dad make him laugh. What parents would ask for something else? What a beautiful family, Nicholsons! Thanks for letting me be a part of it for a little while.

Beauty & Beau....and more Beauty

I had the chance recently to shoot a Beauty and Beau Pageant. It was interesting. There is nothing to make you realize you are getting old like shooting pictures of a bunch of young, beautiful people. There were so many of them too.

Susie, my friend, has nothing to be but proud, as her daughter was definitely one of the most beautiful Beauties there. Here are a few from that night.

Family, but still beautiful!

A while back, my sister's family wanted some pictures for their Christmas card. I cannot say no to her, or to taking pictures usually, so I agreed. We had a great time. Well, most of us did. Their 3 year old son was having a hard time that morning, and didn't really want to cooperate with the pictures. We eventually got some good ones of him....when he could play on the rocks and in nature. He just loves being outside. Here are a few shots from that session, but if you want to see more, just come on over to my site: 1,000 Words Photography

Fun with Leaves

What can I say? It's fun to watch kids enjoy a pile of leaves to its fullest potential. I mean, you can rake them up for the "clean look," you can mulch them for help with flower beds or a garden, but it's not until someone gets to jump headlong into a huge pile of leaves that they reach the full potential of what they were meant for.

That's how I felt with this photo shoot. My bro-in-law and I raked for a good half hour to get this pile, but the results were definitely worth it. See for yourself…

Glen+Emily

Well, he finally did it. He finally asked her. What am I talking about? Their whole relationship has seemingly happened overnight. However, it is much more sturdy than something that is built overnight. It seems like the perfect match for these two to have found each other. I am sure they feel the same way.

I had the pleasure of sweating it out with these two during our engagement session. Glen (my younger brother) and Emily will be married in a couple of short months. It was so hot outside, but they were both troopers, putting up with the hot Mississippi heat.

I'm really happy for them!
Congrats, you two!